Reviews with content warning for Trafficking - A Psalm of Storms and Silence - Die Magie von Solstasia

I really enjoyed this series, the world building is based on West African folklore and some of the characters I came across were insane, it made me want to read more West African folklore.

I loved both MCs character development, Karina going from the reluctant crown princess to knowing that she has to do everything she can to save Ziran. And Malik’s character development took a bit longer I felt as though his didn’t really start until book 2, he was all over the place there was a time I thought he was going to have to die because he seemed so evil.

But most of all the character development I enjoyed the most was Idir!!!!! What?!? Who saw him coming as the voice of reason?! By the end he didn’t even want to get free and he respected Malik too much to try and harm him any more than he’d already been harmed.

I enjoyed the storyline and the plot twists. It wouldn’t be a YA fantasy without some plot twists! I also loved the narrator in book 2, talking about the Farid and Hanane history, it was very well added.

Content Warnings

toy_masterpiece's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

⭐️🎧Audiobook Listener🎧⭐️

*Spoilers for the first book*

Dude, if the first book was a 5/5, this one is a 6/5. In this book, we get to see our heros seriously grapple with their internal demons as the world falls apart around them. Karina with her inferiority complex, her loneliness, her self-destructive tendencies, her grief and Malik with his anxiety, his trauma from childhood, his very negative sense of self, and his loneliness.

First and foremost, the voice actors continue to put their whole chests into this performance. Oh my god. We're back with Jordan Cobb (Karina), A.J. Beckles (Malik), and surprise, Bahni Turpin. Like not only do they deliver in drawing you into their world and into their minds, but the dialogue delivery goes so hard. Most notably, Beckles' performance of Fareed (the antagonist) is excellent. Makes me want to slap something. And Cobb really made me fall in love with Karina, more of which I'll discuss later. Like all the performances go so well with Brown's quirky dialogue, and emotive writing style.

Don't even get me started on the writing. The world-building, the magic system, the stakes! So expertly choreographed to form this story.

My fav parts have to be Karina battling with the concept of her sister being alive and resurrected, the absolute manipulative trip Fareed goes down, Afua choosing a life of eternal guardianship over imprisonment and so so much more.

On the less fantastic side of things, Brown tackles some themes of suicical ideation, generational trauma, having a faith crisis, and grooming to name a few, like how do you juggle all that in a duology? Idk, but Brown did it.

Also a sprinkling of autistic rep, queer rep, diversity in hair texture/style, culture and food, gender, and sexuality.

Lastly, these characters, Karina and Malik, so flawed, so compelling, lemme talk about it. Karina: she always has to have the last word, she is resilient to a fault, she is so so caring and that really comes through in the voice. Malik: constantly battling with his inner demon who isn't even as bad as his actual inner demon while being subject to the expert manipulation of Fareed. They make mistakes, they doubt themselves, each other, their friends. It's good stuff, I assure you.

5/5

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nettle_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I could not get enough of this forbidden love that was somehow encouraged and hated by the gods. It had so much awareness for so many topics including suicide, grooming, racism, transphobia, trauma, abuse, and I guess I was very seen by having these topics discussed. It has so many layers of magic I will not even try to explain but it was magical hearing about the magic.
It has a more deep dive into the same topics so many fantasy YA books have so don’t run away because of the content warnings.

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melinajoy's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional inspiring tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

4.75 stars!
Wow did I love this book! It's book 2 and I found it answered a lot of questions I'd had in the first book and was also just easier to understand. Karina and Malik are amazing characters and I also love Ife. A story of perseverance!

I appreciate how the author presents Malik's mental illnesses, his anxiety, and his self harm, suicidal thoughts/attempts.
I love Karina's queerness.
And I just appreciate most of the characters' tenacity, will, and how very much themselves they are.
I loved the journey we go through with them all separately and then together.

I WISH we got a third book and that this wasn't a duology. We need a part 3 of them living their lives! But I guess I'll just deal with the end chapter.

This book is definitely getting added to my favorites list!

*This book is graphic and contains a lot of trauma. Please check content warnings*.

Content Warnings

lady_valhella's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Picking right up where Hyena left of we continue on the path of Malik and Karina’s story. We learn what happens after Solstasia and where that leads Malik and all the adventures Karina goes on. I also think the Ms. Brown handles the darker themes of grooming and self harm well without delving into triggering topics graphically. I would love to read some stories about the side character also, specifically Afua, Ife, and Leia and Nadia. Malik has a good heart but alas they say the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

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aseel_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I liked how the ending came about, it was a good plot, not unrealistic but it was quite slow and I just didn't care or connect with any of the characters but I liked their arcs

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meganivy04's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I enjoyed the book because of the African mythology—that was fun to read and I want to learn more about it. It is written in a dual narrative with some very common tropes.

The enemy to lovers trope was predictable.

My rating is based off of learning about the mythology because the YA teenage angst did get old, even with understanding that there is a lot of “coming of age” in the narrative. I also didn’t appreciate some of the adult themes present. The author DOES give warning at the beginning of the book and she does veil a lot of the more sensitive topics: you don’t recognize them unless you have prior knowledge about them. That said, while I appreciate some of the issues given credibility (such as mental health) some is overdone and not needed for the storyline.

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blueberry0531's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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